Dennis Walton, the athletic director at Biddeford High, had two major coaching vacancies to fill this spring. After completing the searches, he said the Tigers “feel very fortunate” in their new hires.

Katie Herbine, a former University of Maine standout who coached Bangor to the Class A state final in 2013, will be the girls’ basketball coach.

Jason Tremblay, who led Cape Elizabeth to two Class B state championships and later served as an assistant at the University of New England, will be the boys’ hockey coach.

Walton said it was clear in the search process that both were the leading candidates.

“Katie has an impressive resume, which in itself doesn’t always separate the candidates,” he said. “But she brings the right combination of experience, maturity and absolutely a lot of energy, which for our program is an absolute necessity.”

Of Tremblay, who graduated from Biddeford in 1994, Walton said, “He has a great deal of experience, and is familiar with the community and the program. He’s a no-nonsense coach who is liked and respected.”

Herbine and Tremblay are taking over programs at different ends of the spectrum.

Biddeford’s hockey program, which won Class A state titles in 2007, ’08 and ’10, is a perennial playoff contender. The girls’ basketball program hasn’t made the playoffs since 2010 and won only five games over the last two years, 16 over the last five.

Herbine, who lives in Saco, is looking forward to the challenge.

“I’m not setting any goals in terms of numbers or wins and losses,” she said. “I want to evaluate the girls over the summer. I’ve heard they’re all hard-working kids, which is what I want.”

Herbine, who is a fitness coach for marathoners and triathletes, was a star at Bangor High and played at the University of Maine. She was the coach at Bangor for four seasons, leading the Rams to a 43-36 record.

“I love to be around the kids,” said Herbine, 37. “I feel I’ve been given a lot in my lifetime and I want to give something back to the community. I’m excited about the opportunity. This seems to be a great fit for me.”

She said that she learned much, especially about managing the players, in her time at Bangor.

“Not everyone is there to play basketball 100 hours a week,” she said. “I learned how to make (basketball) fun without it being everything. It should be fun.”

Tremblay, 40, is also looking forward to getting back to his high school roots. He led Cape Elizabeth to back-to-back Class B state championships in 2005 and ’06. Then he left after the 2009 season to become an assistant at UNE. After leaving UNE, he and Eric Wirsing established Atlantic Coast Hockey, which puts on clinics and camps for local players.

The lure to return to Biddeford was too much to pass up.

“I missed being behind the bench,” he said. “They’ve built a proud tradition there in the last 10 years. Taking over a program this rich in tradition is exciting.

“I love to coach. Having played at Biddeford, this was sort of the perfect storm. I want to do this. Going to the college ranks, I learned so much from when I left the high school ranks. I want to bring back what I’ve learned.”

Tremblay is an economics teacher and assistant girls’ lacrosse coach at Massabesic High.

“I loved the college ranks but there’s something special about high school,” he said. “You have to mold a team every year and I enjoy doing that.”

Mike Lowe can be contacted at 791-6422 or at:

mlowe@pressherald.com

Twitter: MikeLowePPH